Pronunciation: /ˈraɪ.fəl/

Definitions of rifle

noun a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, having a long barrel and spiral grooves cut in the inner surface of the barrel to give the bullet a rotatory motion and thus a more precise trajectory

Example Sentences

A1 The hunter carried a rifle while tracking the deer.

A2 She learned how to properly clean and maintain her rifle.

B1 The soldier aimed his rifle at the target during training.

B2 The sniper carefully adjusted the scope on his rifle before taking the shot.

C1 The forensic team analyzed the rifling marks on the bullet to identify the weapon.

C2 The collector had a rare antique rifle in pristine condition in his collection.

verb to search quickly through something in order to find or steal something

Example Sentences

A1 He rifles through his backpack to find his keys.

A2 She rifles through the pile of papers on her desk looking for the important document.

B1 The detective rifled through the suspect's belongings searching for evidence.

B2 The journalist rifled through the files to uncover the truth behind the scandal.

C1 The hacker rifled through the company's database to steal sensitive information.

C2 The auditor rifled through the financial records to uncover any discrepancies.

Examples of rifle in a Sentence

formal The soldier carefully aimed his rifle at the target.

informal Dad took out his rifle to go hunting this weekend.

slang I heard he's packing a serious rifle for the competition.

figurative Her sharp wit was like a verbal rifle, always hitting the mark.

Grammatical Forms of rifle

past tense

rifled

plural

rifles

comparative

more rifle

superlative

most rifle

present tense

rifle

future tense

will rifle

perfect tense

have rifled

continuous tense

rifling

singular

rifle

positive degree

rifle

infinitive

to rifle

gerund

rifling

participle

rifled

Origin and Evolution of rifle

First Known Use: 1600 year
Language of Origin: Middle French
Story behind the word: The word 'rifle' originated from the Middle French word 'rifler' meaning to scratch or scrape.
Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'rifle' shifted from its original meaning of scraping to refer to a type of firearm with a rifled barrel, used for accurate long-range shooting.